I've done this everyday for years and it hasn't helped my acne one bit. I'm completely unconvinced that intermittent fasting can benefit those with highly persistent forms of chronic acne.

Overall however, reducing the calorie intake (by skipping a meal for instance) can only benefit you in the long run and has been shown to increase lifespan in lab rats. Evaluating my own habits, I employ intermittent fasting, moderate exercise, and a mostly paleo diet which has probably allowed me to enjoy such overall health, despite having to take accutane for an extended period, and being a moderate social drinker.

^Intermittent fasting is not necessarily about consuming fewer calories. The same calories can be consumed with these methods.

In the past, there'd been quite a few discussions with people, usually warrior dieters, saying that it helped a great deal and allowed those following it to eat a lot bigger variety of foods/higher GI/GL meals, etc.

And in addition to benefiting many of the factors that affect hormones and chronic inflammation such as insulin sensitivity, there's been a study that found it improved hyperproliferation of cells.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

^Intermittent fasting is not necessarily about consuming fewer calories. The same calories can be consumed with these methods.

In the past, there'd been quite a few discussions with people, usually warrior dieters, saying that it helped a great deal and allowed those following it to eat a lot bigger variety of foods/higher GI/GL meals, etc.

Makes sense. Giving the body a chance to "recover" will make it better equipped to handle the next big food challenge.

I guess the reduction of caloric intake was just a side note, because in order to attain this interval of eating, I found it's simpler just to skip out on a meal. We honestly need far fewer calories than the FDA says we do. Three American-sized meals a day is overkill. (literally)

Intermittent fasting + Ketogenic diet = The holy grail for skin, for me anyway. I have to thank the Inuits for the inspiration. Cutting out all carbs (bar fibrous and trace amounts from cheese) was probably the best decision I ever made in regards to skin and bodily functions. Combined with intermittent fasting, I only eat when my body tells me I'm hungry. Does anyone have any experiences with Ketogenic lifestyles? I've found that this is the closest my diet has ever been to the "Naturally intended path".

"Long hair makes a good looking man, beautiful and an ugly man fierce"

Hey so basically you eat and drink a full day's worth of food in 8 hours, but in the 16 hours that you fast can you drink water? I feel like I would get really thirsty in those 16 hours. Also I'm pretty skinny and I don't want to lose weight, will this make me lose weight? I care more about getting rid of acne though lol.

18 years old, acne sufferer for 5 years, both of my parents had acne into their 20s, many of my family members had acne, but not nearly as bad as mine.

If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.

IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.

A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.

Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.

Untrue.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.

IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.

A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.

Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.

Untrue.

How so?

If the goal is to lose weight or hormonal stabilization then when we eat way down on the list of priorities.

There's an underlying hierarchy of importance. At the top of the hierarchy is total amount of the macronutrients by the end of the day and the quality of the said macros. Distantly below that is the precise timing of those nutrients.

My point is, quality over timing. Yes there are arguments to be made for hormonal responses but if one is eating real nutrient dense foods then surely this is the most important thing?

What would the hormonal response with IF if someone was to eat a load of crap within that 8 hour window? Surely it's less than optimal.

My point is, quality over timing. Yes there are arguments to be made for hormonal responses but if one is eating real nutrient dense foods then surely this is the most important thing?

obviously quality is the most important. No one has said otherwise. This is the nutrition forum, after all. I'm confused as why you even feel the need to argue that point.

However, many people here have claimed to be able to eat foods they otherwise couldn't without breaking out. Usually people on the more extreme Warrior diet involving a 20 hour daily fast.

fasting also has other benefits that may not be directly linked to acne but will improve your overall health and then go on to improve your skin such as:

1.reduce blood pressure2.reduce fat and cholesterol3. reduce the strain on your liver and kidneys4. improve health of the respiratory system by removing toxins from the lungs more efficiently

i know you could say you can achieve these things in other ways but fasting seems to be a much easier way of improving a large number of health problems

Yes. The many benefits of intermittent fasting were pretty clearly stated early in this thread.

Edited by alternativista, 19 February 2013 - 05:08 PM.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

If one is eating the same calories, the same high nutrient foods then when these foods are consumed is largely irrelevant.

IF is a way of eating just like little and often. If it suits your life style then go for it. But don't be fooled into it is something new and magical.

A calorie is a calorie. Okay yes, full calories and empty calories blah blah. But if one eats the same out amount regardless good or bad, time of day the results are the same.

Eating nutrient dense food will make one healthier and give longevity but i when i eat them is of little relevance.

Untrue.

How so?

If the goal is to lose weight or hormonal stabilization then when we eat way down on the list of priorities.

There's an underlying hierarchy of importance. At the top of the hierarchy is total amount of the macronutrients by the end of the day and the quality of the said macros. Distantly below that is the precise timing of those nutrients.

My point is, quality over timing. Yes there are arguments to be made for hormonal responses but if one is eating real nutrient dense foods then surely this is the most important thing?

What would the hormonal response with IF if someone was to eat a load of crap within that 8 hour window? Surely it's less than optimal.

A week ago I stopped eating from 8PM until 12PM. Every day during my 8 window of eating, I consumed loads of crap such as mince pies, biscuits, chocolate, cakes, ice cream and pizza - lots lots more than I normally would.

The result is totally clear skin within 7 days and that is after suffering with acne for 20 years.

I assume this is my hormonal response for fasting. I am just chuffed with the results.

David Zinczenko, of Men's Health Magazine and the Eat This, Not That gimmicks, has jumped on the intermittent fasting bandwagon and of course written a book about it called the 8-hour Diet. I saw him this morning on the Today show where I noticed that he never once mentioned terms like Intermittent fasting. Perhaps because then the masses could just look it up for themselves rather than buy another book. or buy books from other people like LeanGains that they copied.

Oh, he also kept saying that you could eat whatever you want which is different from other gurus like leangains, but there was a hint of something about 8 power foods. You eat those to satisfy nutritional needs and other than that, eat whatever you want.http://today.msnbc.m...s/#.UORZ928YvBM

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.

And remember, intermittent fasting has been found to provide the same benefit as calorie restriction in longevity and various health condition studies.

Edited by alternativista, 20 December 2013 - 07:16 PM.

Status: Clear after 30 years. Wow, I guess it's been 6 years, now.

[ Story: Severe Acne since I was 10. 10+ years of Dermatologists, Antibiotics, topicals and ACCUTANE did nothing. Discovered oranges triggered the worst of my cystic acne = about 70% improvement. Tried some nutrient supplements like B-complex with zinc and C, saw palmetto and a BHA like the aspirin mask = more improvement, a lot less oily. Then, Diet changes = Clear.

Regimen: Anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense, blood sugar stabilizing diet and supplements (for hormones, inflammation, aging, health). No soap or other cleanser except for hand washing! Water only or Oil cleanse. Aloe Vera mixed with niacinimide and a high linoleic acid oil for moisturizer and reduce pigmentation.